Should we publicly accuse our own parents of a crime, which will undoubtedly result in their punishment? This age old question has been debated for millennia throughout the world with varied and countless legitimate arguments swaying people's opinions from one side to the other. It is unclear if we shall ever uncover the "right" answer, but people around the globe will most certainly keep trying to solve this complex dilemma. And when these people exhaust their own common sense and judgments of morality, they turn to greater minds, those who have done this before and have reached definite answers on the subject.
[...] This might result in a sense of pride and would merit rewards from the parents, yet that pleasure cannot be associated with virtue. Likewise, if a child ousts the criminal parent, he or she might feel strong pain and general unpleasantness, yet this feeling cannot be attributed to sin. It is a person's moral duty, according to Plato to obey the justice system, no matter the circumstances. A main point of argument in the Gorgias is Plato's assertion that to inflict wrong is a greater evil than to suffer wrong.[xii] He argues his position against Polus who claims that to suffer wrong is worse. [...]
[...] Whitlock, Greg. Concealing the Misconduct of One's Own Father: Confucius and Plato on a Question of Filial Piety. Journal of Chinese Philosophy 21, no (1994): 115. Ibid [vii] Confucius: Analects [viii] Whitlock. Concealing the Misconduct of One's Own Father Confucius: Analects Whitlock. Concealing the Misconduct of One's Own Father Plato: Gorgias. Translated by Donald J. Zeyl. (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc, 1987) 72-73. [xii] Ibid [xiii] Ibid [xiv] Plato : Euthyphro, Apology, Crito. Translated by F.J [...]
[...] If the father commits a crime, murder or theft, Plato's ethics absolutely restrict lying, while Confucius' ethics would encourage lying about murder and in most cases theft, as he emphasizes filial piety as the greatest good. And so the argument will persist on this sensitive topic, but if one is seeking advice with immensely complex reasoning to support it, these two legendary philosophers are a good place to start. NOTES Li , Chenyang. The Tao Encounters the West:Explorations in Comparative Philosophy New York: State University of New York Press Confucius: Analects. [...]
[...] philosophers Confucius devotes a lot more time to the subject of filial piety and the importance of the relationship built on its principles. the Chinese, the family is the center of, and the most important aspect of a person's The relationship between parents and their children is one Confucius particularly emphasizes. Confucius highly stresses the obligations that children have towards their parents, throughout and even beyond their parent's lives. Confucius feels that since ones parents have invested so much time and energy into their child that there is a sense of debt and hence the child must return the favor of their benevolence by supporting their parents. [...]
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